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PREHISTORIC FLINT FACTORY DISCOVERED AT ABERYSTWYTH

BY ROGER THOMAS, UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF WALES, ABERYSTWYTH

WHILE engaged last summer on a geological survey of the Aberystwyth district, I was examining the soil near the harbour in the company of Dr. O. T. Jones, Professor of Geology at the above College. The latter observed some flint flakes and a flint core embedded in the soil about 2 ft. below the surface, and suggested that they bore a considerable resemblance to those found on chipping floors of presumed Neolithic age in Pembrokeshire and elsewhere. Since then I have repeatedly visited and carefully searched the locality, and have discovered altogether several hundred objects, mainly of flint, which are roughly classified below.

The site (see Fig. 1; the site is marked with a cross) is on a fairly flat spur of rock immediately opposite the entrance to the harbour, and close along the east side of the River Ystwyth. In recent times the course of that river has been somewhat diverted near its mouth, so that it now enters the sea at the same place as the Rheidol (see plan, Fig. 2).2 To accomplish this the end of the spur had to be cut through. Subsequently a bridge has been built at this point across the Ystwyth, and a 10-ft. cutting made through the spur at the level of the bridge. Another and an older cutting runs parallel to, and about 30 yards to the east of, the river. A continuation of this towards the harbour would separate off most of the area on which chips of flint have been found from the steeper slope forming the western flank of the prominent fortified hill of Pen Dinas, which overlooks the Rheidol and Ystwyth Valleys. As the

1 The plan is orientated north and south. Scale, 6 in.

=

1 mile.

2 Scale, 25 in. 1 mile; the dotted area indicates the area on which flints, etc., have been found. The north end of the plan is on the left of the page.

shingle beaches which occur across the mouth of the Ystwyth Valley and on the site of the Promenade were practically the only source of flint stones in the district,

[blocks in formation]

Fig. 1.—Site of a Prehistoric Flint Factory, Aberystwyth

the position of the factory is readily accounted for. The section in which flints were first observed was exposed in making the foundations of the new isolation hospital for the town. The state of the

ground before the older cuttings were made is now best represented by that part of the section which stands at right angles to the Ystwyth. It shows a maximum depth of 4 ft. of shaley loamy soil overlying material which is of a somewhat gravelly texture, with a clay matrix. The latter is exposed to a depth of 4 ft., and is probably of glacial origin. The line of demarcation between the upper and lower layers is, however, not conspicuous, and the thickness varies somewhat from point to point. Flint chips have been

[blocks in formation]

Fig. 2.-Site of a Prehistoric Flint Factory, Aberystwyth

rarely found near the upper surface of the lower layer; but they are common throughout the upper layer, not only in the hospital section, but also in the sides of the cutting leading to the bridge and in the cliff overlooking the Ystwyth.

The majority of the flints and other articles were found on the tip made from the excavation of the site and at the foot of the cliff immediately above the bridge, where they appear to have fallen with the slipping of the soil, and have there been washed by the river at high tides. I have carefully searched the beach at other places, and also the soil in the neigh

bouring gardens between the hospital site and the Great Western Railway line, which is about 60 yards to the east, but have, as yet, been unable to find any flint chips; they are, therefore, confined to a limited area.

The various objects found are roughly classified below according to definitions given in Sir John Evans' Ancient Stone Implements of Great Britain (2nd Ed., 1897), and references are given in square brackets to the figures in that book.

Arrowheads.-Several of the flint flakes may be referred to arrowheads of a rather crude pattern. They exhibit in certain cases fine and careful chipping round the margin, and the best specimens show a high degree of symmetry. They vary in length from in. to 1 in. The majority, by far, are of the lanceolate, or leaf type, a few only being of the broad type [Figs. 193, 288]. Though the best chipped flakes show great fineness of work they may not represent finished products. No barbed arrowheads have been found.

Scrapers.-A scraper is defined by Sir John Evans as "a broad flake, the end of which has been chipped to a semi-circular bevelled edge round the margin of the inner face, similar in character to that of a round-nosed turning-chisel." Some of those found on this site are finely chipped along all the edges [Figs. 207, 208, 219, 226 A]; others only along part of the edges [Figs. 206, 213]. It is possible that many of these implements which are here classified as "scrapers" might also have been used as "strike-a-lights." They vary in diameter from 1 in. to 1 in. and are relatively thick.

Flakes. This group includes only those "artificial splinters of flint which, either in their section or outline, or in both, present a certain amount of symmetry and appearance of design." About fifty typical specimens are classified as "flakes," but many of these might have been intended for scrapers. They vary in length from 1 in. to 3 in., and in width from in. to 1 in. [Figs. 399, 400, 413 D]. Unlike the majority of those

classified as arrowheads, they often show a well developed bulb-of-percussion. They are generally two-edged, but may be one-edged only. Either the bulb end or the opposite end is often worked down by secondary chipping to a rather fine edge. The longer edges are sometimes worn, apparently by attrition. The unused flakes occasionally show a remarkably sharp edge. The bulb face is frequently flat or slightly convex, but it never shows signs of secondary chippings; the opposite face, which is more convex than the former, consists generally of numerous secondary concave chippings most of which were probably executed previous to the detachment of the flake from the parent core. Unlike the arrowheads they are seldom finely worked on their long edges; and this, together with the evidence of their edges being worn by attrition, suggests that some were used as scrapers of soft material and others as knives.

Chips and Spalls.-These are "the ruder forms, such as would result from chipping some large object into shape, without any regard to the form of the part removed." Such chips must have been produced in the manufacture of various articles; but it is impossible to say for individual specimens whether they were produced intentionally, or merely represent waste chips. They have no character sufficient to attribute them to definite implements.

Cores. These vary in height from in. to about 3 2 in. They serve beautifully to show the manner of detachment of a flake from the parent flint, and point to the dexterity that was essential in order to excel in the art of making flint implements. A typical flint core nearly always has a flat, and more or less circular base, from which it tends to taper to a blunt point forming a pyramid. Many of those found compare favourably with Fig. 189 (Evans). The smallest is about in. high; and it is evident that a number of flakes of small size have been chipped off this specimen, indicating that many of the flakes which are

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